Dimensional Differences
by DreamersMyth27
Summary: Tim wasn't exactly a stranger to visiting different dimensions and meeting other versions of himself and people he knew. When he and Damian got hit with a laser gun by some goon and nothing happened beyond everyone disappearing, it didn't take much to work out that they were in an alternate dimension.


**So, this is mostly a crackfic with little to no plot. Anything that happens is all for convenience purposes. There will be plot holes.**

 **Warning: Discussion of a suicide.**

* * *

Tim wasn't exactly a stranger to visiting different dimensions and meeting other versions of himself and people he knew. When he and Damian got hit with a laser gun by some goon and nothing happened beyond everyone disappearing, it didn't take much to work out that they were in an alternate dimension.

"Drake, where are we?" Damian asked harshly. Tim was tempted to rub it in Damian's face that he hadn't figured it out yet, but Tim had to remember he was older than Damian, and therefore more mature. "Tell me immediately, pretender."

Remember, he was more mature. Tim took a deep breath. Maybe if he told himself that enough he'd believe it.

"An alternate dimension, I'd guess," he said coolly.

"Well then, how are we going to fix this, Drake?"

Tim shook his head. "I don't know."

And of course, at that moment, everything went to hell. Because what could be better in an alternate universe than running across Batman, or this version, at least.

"Who are yo-" Batman began before choking. " _Damian?!_ "

And that… was Bruce. But he sounded different. Oh, and he recognized Damian.

Damian, for his part, didn't seem too surprised. He merely scoffed and turned to Tim, ignoring Batman? Bruce? His dad? It didn't matter.

"Why are you out? I thought we agreed on no patrol tonight because you had to finish your homework?" Bruce said, and if that wasn't the darndest thing. "And who are you with?"

That… was not what Tim had been expecting. At all.

Before Damian could say anything that might make Bruce think he was a villain, Tim clapped a hand over the kid's mouth, ignoring the tongue that started licking him with a practiced ease that probably should have worried him.

"I think we're from an alternate dimension," Tim said quickly. "Do you have protocols for that?"

And Tim was praying this version of Bruce did because otherwise, this was going to be a long however long they'd be stuck here.

"Yes," Bruce said, straightening up and falling into Batman-mode right away. "We'll need to prove it. You don't mind if I cuff you?"

"I'd prefer not," Tim said coolly. "Better safe than sorry."

"Good," Bruce said, bring two pairs of cuffs anyway. Damian, to his credit, put up a profuse struggle before Bruce was able to get them on.

When Tim took his hands off Damian's mouth, the brat was quick to snap: "Fuck you," in Tim's direction. Bruce looked shocked at hearing that coming out of Damian's mouth, and Tim had to wonder how different this universe was if Damian didn't swear.

A moment later, Tim was cuffed and both of them were in the back seat of the Batmobile. Damian was glaring at everything his eyes landed on. Tim, for his part, managed to stay fairly calm.

He stayed calm until they pulled into the Batcave. He stayed calm while he and Damian were placed in a holding cell, Damian muttering death threats to Bruce and Tim the whole way. He did _not_ stay calm when four other figures joined Bruce to look at them.

There was Alfred, not unusual, Dick, again, not surprising, Jason, still with a white streak and no guns anywhere in sight, eyes blue though, not Lazarus Pit green, and last but not least, Damian. Their Damian wasn't like his Damian. Their Damian had wide, _innocent_ , green eyes, was small, slight, and not muscular to the extent his Damian was from constant exercise.

Mostly what freaked him out was how their Damian greeted Bruce though.

"Dad, who are they?" And then their Damian's eyes landed on his Damian. "Are you me? Are you from an alternate dimension? Are you Robin? Dad only lets me do Robin on weekends and my birthday."

Tim could see Damian, his Damian, freeze. Then his Damian cocked his head, looking over their Damian carefully.

"You didn't grow up with mother," Damian said.

And that explained a lot to Tim. Talia was definitely responsible for Damian's behavior. All of it.

"Nope," their Damian said cheerfully, smiling in a way Tim had never seen his Damian smile.

To the side, Alfred, Jason, Dick, and Bruce shared a meaningful look.

"Well, that explains much about your behavior," his Damian drawled.

Their Damian didn't look too bothered at being mocked. Another sign of how strange this world was. And seriously, where was Tim?

"I don't know who you are though," their Damian informed Tim. Somehow, Tim thought Bruce must have already confirmed they were from another dimension, otherwise, why would he let them talk to him and Damian without masks.

"I'm Tim," Tim said since there was really no point in hiding anything at this point. "Tim Drake."

"Okay, well, I'm-"

"Damian Wayne," Tim said, pointing at him. "Jason Todd. Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne. Alfred Pennyworth."

"How do you know us?" Bruce asked.

Tim furrowed his brow. "You adopted me. Well, I guess not in this universe. I'm still trying to figure out what happened differently."

"Jason, look up Tim Drake. I feel like I've heard the name before," Bruce said. And with that, he opened the door to the cell, letting Damian and Tim out. "We have a device that can send you back coming from the Watchtower."

"Maybe because I'm the son of the Drakes?" Tim suggested. "Your next-door neighbors."

This time it was Dick who looked confused. "The Drakes, their son died." Tim felt himself go cold. "He killed himself about a year after Talia brought Jason back and Damian here."

"What?" Tim asked weakly. Dimly, he noticed Damian, his Damian, was staring at him, and if Tim didn't know him better, he'd say Damian was _worried_ for him.

"Why would Drake do that?" Damian asked harshly.

"Timothy Drake's parents were neglectful, leaving him home alone from the age of nine and up for months at a time. His mental health issues probably stemmed from that," Jason said, coming into the room again. "His suicide note talked about not being useful as well as not seeing his parents, which prompted an investigation into them and resulted in them earning jail sentences for child abuse and criminal neglect."

"Drake," Damian snarled, turning towards him. "Is this what happened in our world too?"

"I mean," Tim began. "No? I'm not dead, am I?"

"Not what I meant, Drake," Damian snapped.

"Well, yeah, I guess. My parents weren't the best, but I don't hate them. It's fine. My dad got better too."

"After he was in a coma for a year," Damian growled. "You're a fool, Drake."

Tim shifted uncomfortably. "Nevermind all that. What happened differently in this world that caused me to not be Robin?"

"What caused you to be Robin in your world?" Dick asked.

"After Jason died, Bruce started to go off the deep end and I knew who he was. It's a long story," he added at the other-dimensional people's questioning look.

"Not really," his Damian snorted. "You started stalking them after you figured out their identity when you were nine."

"What?" their Damian asked. "How'd you do that?"

"Um, I was there at the circus where I met Dick and he did a quadruple somersault for me," Tim said. "Then I saw Robin do it a few years later on TV and put it together."

Bruce hummed and looked at Dick. "We'll need to talk about that then."

"Anyway," Tim continued. "I went to convince Dick to become Robin again and when that didn't work, I blackmailed Bruce into making me Robin."

"I think I know the difference here," Jason said. "After I came back from the dead, Talia put me in the Pit right away and then brought me here along with Damian."

"So, since Jason came back right away, I never went to you," Tim said. "And I guess, well, this version of me killed myself. That's kinda, well, terrible."

"Drake, have you ever thought of killing yourself before?" his Damian demanded.

"Of course not!" Tim denied. "Never!" His Damian huffed and crossed his arms. The others were watching them awkwardly. "You know what, nevermind," Tim said, rubbing his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Just, are we able to get home now?"

"The device should be arriving any moment," Bruce said. Just as he said that a device shimmered into existence. Teleporting, man.

"Okay, can you send us back?" Tim asked. He wanted to get out of this messed up world quick.

"Yes," Bruce said, grabbing the device and aiming it at Tim and his Damian. "This may tingle."

And with that, he pressed the trigger down. There was a bright light and a moment later he and Damian were able to see again. They were in the same spot as before, only there was no one surrounding them.

"Well," Damian said, moving farther away from Tim. "That was not my favorite reality."

"Mine either," Tim agreed. He and Damian were agreeing on something, and wasn't that the strangest thing ever?

"Just so you know, Drake," Damian began awkwardly. "It is preferable that you do not die. So don't die, Drake."

That was… probably the sweetest thing Damian had ever said to him.

"I won't, kid," Tim said, ruffling Damian's hair. Damian squawked and tried to hit Tim's hand away, but Tim dodged. "Don't worry. Don't you die either."

And this wasn't really what Tim had expected to come out of this patrol today, but he was going to roll with it because no matter how much Damian annoyed him or tried to kill him, they were brothers.

That was enough.


End file.
